The award-winning artist Ernst Gamperl has spent a decade shaping a single oak tree into looming vessels that defy the limitations of wood. As Tree of Life goes on show for the first time, he talks to Debika Ray about the series.
'What I like about wood is the smell,' says the German artist Ernst Gamperl. 'And cutting it with sharp tools, which, when combined with a speedy turning object, means you can form even the hardest wood easily. And the way you shape wood on the lathe - you see the shavings flying around, and it's really something special.'
He is talking about his enduring love affair with his material...
